Machine for delivering articles in measured quantities



May 29, 1928. 1,671,700

J. M. CLAVIN El Al- MACHINE FOR DELIVERING ARTICLES IN MEASURED QUANTITIES Filed July 8, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet. 1

min v lllllll Z ZEE e lllllllllllllllllllIIIIUIHllllllllll May 29. 1928.

J. M. CLAVIN ET AL MACHINE FOR DELIVERING ARTICLES IN MEASURED QUANTITIES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 8, 1925 Patented May 29, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,671,703 PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH M. GLAVIN ANDJOHN W. LEASE, F. CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNORS TO EASTERN NAILCOMPANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CDRPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

. MACHINE F OR DELIVERING ARTICLE-S IN MEASURED QUANTITIES.

Application filed July},

This invention relates to machines for feeding articles in measured quantities, and

I particularly to machines for feeding tacks,

nails, screws, rivet-s, bolts or the like, to deliver a specified number for packaging in an envelope or other container.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a machine of the type specified in which the nails or other articles are fed continuously from a hopper or other sourceof supply to a point where they are counted and apportioned indefinite number and then delivered in groups for packaging. j

Anotherobject of the invention is to: rovide a machine of the type specified wiich is positive inaction, accurate as to the counting of the articles, and eflicient inoperation for the purpose. explained.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the type specified which is adjustable for counting and apportioning the articles in accordance With various requirements. a

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the type specified which is simple in construction, proof against derangement or getting out of order, and durable in useover long periods.

Further objects of the improvementare set forth in the following specification which describes a preferred embodiment oil the invention asillustrated'by the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a. machine embodying the invention, shown: as. applied to use for delivering tacks, nails,.scre,ws, rivets, bolts or the like from a hopper. and arranged to be operated manually from a foot-lever;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the counting and delivering mechanism of the machine, part-sectional on the line 2-2of Fig. 3, showing it as adapted for operation by power-driven means; i

Fig.3 is an enlarged front elevation of the counting and delivering mechanism of the machine, showing it connected to be continuously operated from a belt-pulley; and

Fig. 4 is a plan viewof the counting; and deliverin D18El-1'1S,3lSO showing its power b driven operating means.

The improved machine consists in general of means for continuously feeding tacks, nails, screws, rivets, bolts or other articles from a source of supply and collecting and 1925. Serial No. 42,221.

chine may be mounted. to provide for convenience of operation either manually or by power-driven means. The table 2 supports a bracket or standard 3 surmounted by a hopper 4 in which is contained a supply of the articles to be counted and delivered, such as tacks, nails, screws, rivets, bolts, or even articles of other shape and form; it being understood that the term nail hereinafter used in the specification and claims is to be considered in a general sense as designating any article to be fed and delivered in measured quantities by the machine.

The hopper may be of any preferred type having aninclined chute or conduit 5 leading from its side and provided with a suitable channel or raceway through which the nails orother articles slide. Fig. 1 illustrates a conventional type of hopper 4 (shown with its cover removed) having means within its interior, such as a reciproeating blade 6,, for agitating the nails or other articles to cause them to be thrown upwardly to be caught in an. inclined tray or sluice which directs them into the raceway of the chute 5. Suitable means such as the rotatingtoothed wheel 8 is generally employedfor acting on the nails or other articles to. kick them into position for their shanks to enter the raceway in the chute 5, and the operating mechanism of the hopper is usuall'ydriven by power, for example by means of a belt-pulley 9 connected to arm) tor or line shaft by a driving belt not herein arni 14 which is inclined rcarwaidly at the top and provided with a lateral bridge-piece 15 which serves as a rest for the lower end of the chute 5. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the chute 5 may consist of two vertical bars or plates 16 arranged in opposed relation with a slot or-channel 17 thcrebetwecn forming the raceway through which the articles are fed. The two bars or plates 16 are preferably adjustable toward and away from each other to regulate the width of the race way 17 in accordance with the size of the articles to be fed therethrough. That is to say, for tacks or small nails the plates will be set closer together than for screws, bolts or other larger articles. the adjustment being such that the shanks of the nails or screws will slide'freely in the raceway with the heads of the nails resting on the upper edges of the side-plates 1,6 to prevent them dropping down thcrcthrough, see Fig. 2.

Angle-shaped brackets 18 are screwed to the sides of the bars or plates 16 at 19 with their feet fastened to the top; of the crossrest or bridge-piece 15 on the arm 14 by means of bolts 20. One of the brackets 18 ill extends upwardly above the top of the chute 5 and is formed with an offset ear or extension 21 having a slot 22.

Extending parallel to and in spaced relation with the top of the chute 5 is a longitudinal bar 25 which overlies the raceway in the chute to serve as a guard to prevent the nails or other articles from crowding and riding up therein. The bar or guard 23 is supported at its upper or rearward end by a cleat 26, see Fig. 1, which is fastened to the side of the chute 5 by means of a screw 27. The upper end of the clcat 26 is slotted to receive a thumb-screw 29 screwed-into the side of the bar or guard 25.- A similar thumb-screw 29. received in the slot 22 of the extension 21 on the bracket 18, is screwed into the side of the bar or guard 25 to hold the lower end of the guard, in place. By loosening the thumb-screws 29 the bar or guard 25 may be raised or lowered with respect to the top of the chute 5 to regulate the spacing therebetween in accordance with the thiclmess of the heads of the nails or otherarticlcs to be fed through the chute. The bar on guard 25 extends forwardly beyond the lower end of the chute 5 and carries an adjustable detent or holdback element 30 for restricting the feed of the nails or other articles. The dctent or holdback 30 consists of a slotted plate abutting the side of the guard 25 and fastened thereto by means of a screw 31 inserted through its slot. The holdback 30 has a detent-finger 32 bent at right-angles to its end and extending in under the guard 25 as shown more particularly in Fig. 3. The holdback or detent-meinber 30 is adjustable longitudinally of the bar or guard 25 by releasing its screw 31 so that it may be set with its finger 32 in definite relation to the end of the chute 5 to regulate the number of nails or other articles feeding from the chute into the cminting-receiver or delivery magazine 35 of the machine. 1

The receiver or magazine 35 consists in a slotted extension of the chute 5' which is slidable across its end. Referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the counting-receiver or delivery-n'iagazine 35 may be conveniently constructed from two parallel plates 36 and 37 projecting upwardly from a horizontal baselate or slide 40. The plate 36 is preferably fast on the slide 40. being set into a slot 41 and fastened in place by screws 42, see Fig. 4. The plate 37 is mounted for adjustment on the slide to regulate the distance between it and the fixed plate 36, any suitable means being provided for this purpose As shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the plate 37 is formed with a foot 43 resting on the top of the slide 40 and provided with slots 44 for receiving bolts 45 which clamp it in position. By releasing the bolts 45 and sliding the plate 37 the width of the opening between the plates 36 and 37 may be adjusted in conformity with the width of the raceway in the chute 5 as regulated by the size and shape of the articles to be fed from the chute into the countingreceiver or magazine 35.

The slide40 is supported above the upper shelf or platen 46 of the bracket 10 and arranged to slide longitudinally thereof in guideways 47 formed in raised ribs or tracks 48. Suitable gibs 49 fastened to the top of thetracks 48 by screws 50 overlap the edges of the slide 40 to hold it in place. Referring to Fig. 3, acoil-spring 51 is anchored at one end to'a pin52 driven into the shelf 46 and extends beneath the slide 40 with its opposite end fastened to a pin 53 driven into the under side of the slide at the right-hand end thereof. A longitudinal opening 54 in the shelf 46, see Fig. 2, provides access for applying the spring to place. The spring 51 tends to move the slide 40 to the left, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 4, and a stop-screw 55 screwed through a lug 56 projecting above the top of the shelf 46 acts to limit the movement of the slide in this direction. The stop-screw 55 is adjustable in the lug 56 to regulate the position of the slide 40 to bring the nail-receiving opening in the receiver or magazine 35 in register with the raceway 17 in the chute 5. After the stop-screw has been adjusted for this purpose a check-nut 57 at its end is set up against the lug 56 to lock the screw in lace.

ny suitable means may be provided for shifting the slide 40 to the right after the magazine has received its load or charge of nails or other articles, whereby to segregate emme" other articles drop after the magazine has been moved to the right to release the nails from the detent-finger 32 on the holdback 30. The bottom of the spout 58 is rounded and formed with a contracted month which may be entered into the envelope, sack or other container into which the nails are to be delivered.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings the slide &0 is illustrated as being connected. to a wire or cord 60 which travels over a pulley 61 at the end of the bracket 10. The lower end of the cord60is attached to a foot-lever 63 pivotedin a bearing 64 fastened to the floor on' which the table2 stands. By pressing thefoot on the leve'i" or treadle 63 the operator, standing at the'front of the machine, may operate the counting and delivering means manuallyL Each time the foot-lever or treadle 63 is pressed down it will draw theslide iO to the right to carry the magazine 35 across the front of the chute 5, thus displacing the group of nails or other arti-l cle's collected in. the magazine beyond the control of theholdback sothatthe'nails wlll be released to dropdown into the spout 58 to deliver into the envelope or other con tainer held imposition by the operator. It

will be understood that during this operation the magazine slides across the end of-the chute 5 with its plate 36 closing the raceway 17 in the chute to prevent the nails.

feeding therefron'n- When the pressure on the treadle isreleased the spring 51 returns the slide to first position asillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, whereupona fresh charge of nails will feed into the magazine with the number regulated by the setting of the holdback 30. In this way thedevice may be ol'a'erated' intermittently to count and deliver any required number of nails or other articles to the envelopes or other containers presented to the delivery spout on the magazine. As illustrated in Fig. 2 the holdback 30 is adjusted to allow ten nails to feedinto" the collecting-magazine 35 before the feed is arrested, this being the usual number employed for packaging with a pair Ofrubber heels with which they are used; In other cases the holdback 30 may be set so that a greater or less number of articles are counted and collected in the magazine for delivery to the container in accordance with varying requirements.

To provide for the automatic operation of themachine power-driven meansmay be employed'for reciprocating the slide 'to move the magazine 35 back and forth across the open end of the chute 5. Figsrfl, 3 and left to the extent 4' of the drawings illustrate one form of operating means for this purpose comprisinga rotating cam 65 whichacts to traverse the slide 40. Thecam 65 may be of the disktype having ahump'orswelling 66 pro maintain the roller in contact with the face ofthe cam while returning the slide to the regulated by the stopscrew 55. r I

The cam 65 is mounted on a shaft'TO jour naled in bearings 71 which may be formed as a part of, or attached to, the bracket or standard 10. At the right-hand end ofthe shaft is a spur gear 72, held fast thereon by a set-screw 73 in its hub 74, and arranged to mesh with an idler-pinion 7'5journaled on a stud 76 screwed into the side of the bracket 10. -The idler is driven from a pinion77 ona countershaft 78 which is journaled in a hearing 79fastened to the rearwardside of thebracket 10 by means of bolts 80. The countershaft 78 has a collar 81 at one end for holding it from longitudinal movement in its bearing and carries a pulley 83 at its opposite end which may be driven from a suitable belt, not herein shown. The pulley 83niay be driven from thedrive5shaft for the operating mechanism of thehopperfi or 'fr onrth'e main source of power as desired. 1

W'ith this latter arrangement of chine the belt-pulley 83 operates through the gearing 77, 7 5 and 72 to turn theshaft 70 to rotate the cain 65. The idler pinion 75 constitutes a changegear, for which may be substituted other gears of different size to regulate the timing of the operation of the machine. In other words. the speed of the cam may be regulated to time the re ciprocation of thefslide 40 carrying the magazine 35, whereby a suitableinterval elapses before the shifting of the magazine to the right to provide for a dwell in the action of the magazine to allow the nails or other articles to feed thereinto. to say, as the cam is rotated after the shifting of the magazine 35 to the right the the ma That is of the spout 58 and the nails or other articles will be delivered into the container, after which the magazine is returned to first position to receive a new charge. A longer interval elapses after the return of the slide 40 to first position, during that portion of the rotation of the cam when its hump 66 is out of range of the roller 67, to permit a new charge of nails to feed into the inagazine 35. i

In some cases the magazine 35 may be provided with two parallel channels for receiving the nails from the chute 5; the arrangement being such that when the magazine is shifted to the right to deliver one group of nails therefrom a second group will feed thereinto to be delivered when the magazine is returned to the left again.

It will be observed that the invention provides an extremely simple, compact and efiicient device for the purpose specified, with its operating-mechanism having a minimum number of parts. The counting and delivering device comprises essentially only one moving element, the receiver of magazine 35, which of itself performs the several operations of counting or apportioning of the nails in groups, releasing the groups for delivery while checking further feeding of the nails from the chute, and then effecting a further feed for a new charge which is collected, segregated and delivered as before. V

The adjustment of the counting means through the setting of the holdback or detent-member 30 requires merely; the release of a single screw so that it can be accomplished most conveniently and expeditiously. Moreover, the machine may be adjusted for various sizes or shapes of articles by regulating the size of the raceway in the chute 5 and magazine 35and the position of the guard-member 25, all of which is simple and easy to accomplish.

The simplicity of the mechanism makes for its etlicient operation without chance of derangement or getting out of order, and its lack of complication also insures against clogging or choking of the feed. lrVhen operated under power the machine is entirely automatic, relieving the operator of all work except the presentation of the containers in position to be filled by the counting and delivering means. and delivering means may be arranged to operate in connection with any suitable envelopeor container-feeding means as sometimes employed.

lVhile we have herein illustrated a. preferred embodiment of the device and shown it arranged for either manual or powerdrive, it is obvious that various modifications may be made in the structure and arrangement of. the parts of the apparatus which would fall within the scope of the If desired the counting present invention. Therefore, without limiting ourselves to the exact details of construction as shown and described, we claim:

1. In a machine for delivering articles in measured quantities from a. source of supply, the combination of means for feeding the articles, a magazine for receiving the articles in different quantities from the feeding-means, detent-means adapted to be adjusted in fixed position with respect to the magazine to regulate the number of articles fed thereinto, and means for shifting the magazine to release the articles from thecontrol of the detent-means whereby they will deliver automatically from the magazine.

2. In a machine of the type specified, the combination of an inclined raceway for feeding articles from a source of supply, a magazine having an inclined channel for receiving the articles in varying number from the raceway, detent-means adapted to be adjusted in fixed position with respect to the magazine to regulate the number of articles.

for temporarily holding the articles inthe.

magazine. means for shifting the magazine to cause it to close the end of the raceway in the chute and to carry the articles beyond the control of the detent-means whereby they are released to deliver from the magazine.

4. In a machine of the type specified, the combination of a raceway for feeding articles such as nails or tacks from a source of supply, a magazine, movable across the mouth of the raceway and adapted to receive the articles fed therefrom, detentmeans adjustable in cooperative relation with respect to the magazine to regulate the number of articles fed into the magazine, and means to shift the magazine to release the articles from the control of the detentmeans and to close the raceway to prevent feeding while the articles are being delivered from the magazine.

5. In a machine of the type specified, the combination of a. chute having an inclined raceway for feeding articles such as nails or tacks from a source of supply, amaga- .zine movable across the end of the chute and provided with an inclined channel registering with the raceway therein to adapt it to receive a group of articles in varying number fed therefrom, detent-means adapted to be adjusted longitudinally of the channel in the magazine to regulate the number of articles fed from the racewa into the magazine, and means to shift t e magazine to release the group of articles held by the detent-means to deliver them from the magazine.

6. In a machine of the type specified, the combination of a raceway for feeding articles from a source of supply, a slide, means for reciprocating the slide, a magazine carried by the slide and provided with a channel registering with the raceway to adapt it to receive the articles fed therefrom, and

means for regulating the number of articles fed from the raceway into the magazine, said means adapted to release the articles to cause them to deliver from the magazine when the latter is displaced with respect to the race- Wa l 7 In a machine of the type specified, the combination of a raceway for receiving the shanks of nails held in the raceway by their heads overlapping the sides thereof, a magazine having a channel registering with the raceway to adapt it to receive the nails fed therefrom, detent-means adjustable longitu dinally of the channel in the magazine to regulate the number of nails fed thereinto, and means to displace the magazine with respect to the raceway to release the nails from the detent-means while closing the mouth of the raceway to check the feed therefrom.

8. In a machine of the type specified, the combination of a chute having a raceway for feeding articles from a source of supply, a guard extending longitudinally above the raceway to hold the articles therein, a magazine shiftable across the end of the chute and provided with a channel adapted to register with the raceway to receive the articles fed therefrom, and a holdback-member adjustable on the guard and having detent-means extending across the channel in the magazine to engage the articles fed thereinto to regulate the number segregated thereby to be delivered therefrom.

In testimonywhereof we afiix our signatures.

I JOSEPH M. CLAVIN.

JOHN W. LEASE. 

